Thursday, February 27, 2014

Maple Quinoa Crunchy Granola

Who doesn't love "dessert"

first thing in the morning?

When we stayed at our friend's house for the weekend a few weeks ago, I thought it would be nice to make a different kind of breakfast (think gluten-free) for everyone, so we picked up some stuff to make parfaits. They had KIND Maple Quinoa Clusters on-hand which both my kids and I fell in love with. I'm used to making my own granola, so it was nice to try another product, especially having heard good things about this particular brand.Of course, I needed to try to make this as one bag wouldn't even last a day in our household. ;-) My first attempt at a copycat KIND recipe came from gluten free on a shoestring tasted great, but didn't "cluster" and the taste of millet was quite strong, so I adapted the recipe a bit the second time around by grinding up some of the whole grains and adding water to help everything stick together. All these gluten-free whole grains are packed with protein, fiber and nutrients, making this granola a superfood super breakfast, snack or even dessert! ;-)

BREAKFAST PARFAIT

To make a delicious dessert-for-breakfast,simply layer chopped fruit,

yoghurt of choice (or chia pudding), and crunchy granola Repeat until you get to the top. A fun, and substantial

In a food processor, process 1/2 cup (65g) of the oats into a fine flour. Add the millet, quinoa, buckwheat groats and amaranth. Pulse a few times to break up these grains.

In a large bowl, combine this mixture with everything else, tossing to coat evenly.

Spread evenly onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until crisp. Toss this mixture occasionally, shifting the outer edge toward the center of the pan and the bits in center carefully to the outer edge for even baking.